Enoch, Levi, and Jubilees on Sexuality presents the initial results of Loader's multi-year
project on attitudes towards sexuality in Judaism and Christianity of the
Hellenistic era (p. ix), but it is his third Eerdmans monograph on the topic.
(The first two are The Septuagint, Sexuality, and the New Testament: Case
Studies on the Impact of the LXX in Philo and the New Testament [2004] and Sexuality
and the Jesus Tradition [2005]). It is a dense, inductive study of three
early Jewish texts as they relate to the theme of sexuality, which
Loader defines broadly as behaviours, thoughts and feelings, which
people have identified as pertaining to sexual desire and its
expression. He also examines attitudes towards marriage as one of the
contexts in which sexuality plays a role and towards men and women as
sexual beings, generally (p. 2). Readers searching for an
inter-disciplinary approach that engages directly with current sexuality
theory will need to look elsewhere. Loader's discussion is situated
within conventional scholarship on early Judaism.

Loader's decision to restrict this study to Enochic literature, the Aramaic Levi Document and
Jubilees is probably due to the on-going nature of his project, as several other
important works would have been included if the sole criteria were age and
influence (p. 1). However, the selection is not arbitrary, for Jubilees certainly
knew 1 Enoch and was either dependent on the Aramaic Levi Document itself
or on a common source (pp. 169, 175). The comparison between these related texts
is illuminating, keeps the length manageable, and provides a convenient
three-part structure.

In part 1 sections from 1 Enoch are treated in their order of composition, beginning with the Book
of the Watchers (1-36), and then turning to the Book of Dream Visions
(83-90), the Epistle of Enoch (91-105), and the Birth of Noah
(106-7). A final section examines the DSS fragments of the Book of Giants.
The Astronomical Book (72-82) is omitted as irrelevant to the theme. The
Book of the Parables (37-71) and 1 Enoch 108, both of which are dated
to the first century BCE or later, are postponed for treatment in a subsequent
monograph. Most of part 1 consists of a close reading of the Watchers myth in 1
Enoch 6-16. Loader concentrates on the origins of sin in general, and of
sexual sin in particular, but also mines the text for attitudes towards
sexuality, whether positive or negative. He observes that predictions of long—rather
than unending—life in the age to come imply the continuation of sexual
relations. However, 1 Enoch shows no positive interest in sexual
activity aside from procreation. On the negative side, sorcery is presented as
a gendered activity consistently associated with women, and part of the blame
for the Watchers' fall is placed on female seduction. The myth of the Watchers
is both etiological, explaining the origins of evil, and paradigmatic, warning
against the dangers of illicit marriage and the corrupting influence of foreign
women. While chapters 12-16 are especially concerned with the danger of
priestly exogamy, the warning is not limited to priests. Loader's comparatively
brief survey of the remaining Enochic literature deals with isolated passages
related to sexuality, most of which are closely related to the ideas raised in
1-16. Surprisingly, the authors of 1 Enoch do not exploit the myth of
the Watchers to warn against sexual sin in general. The only contemporary
concern related to sexuality is the problem of intermarriage. Given the sexual
potency of the myth, this is remarkable (p. 80).

Part 2 is a short twenty-five page chapter on the fragmentary Aramaic Levi Document (ALD).
One of ALD's concerns—reflected in the foundational myth of Dinah—is
sexual wrongdoing, especially the problem of intermarriage. Loader concludes that
ALD most likely presents Dinah as complicit in Shechem's action and the
cause of her family's defilement. He also argues that the use of זנות in ALD
prohibits exogamy, and not simply prostitution. Although ALD is
primarily concerned about Levi and his descendents, the concern for marital
purity is not limited to priests, for the priests are responsible to warn
against the dangers of exogamy and, like Levi in the story of Dinah, to punish
those who intermarry (pp. 107-8). While the text is concerned about sexual transgression,
it does not suggest there is anything wrong with sexual activity within its
proper context.

Parts 1 and 2 stand on their own, but they also prepare for Loader's discussion of Jubilees in
Part 3, which comprises almost two thirds of the book. Loader shows that Jubilees
is deeply concerned about sexual wrongdoing. After analysing statements about
sexual sin in their narrative contexts, Loader examines related terminology in
Greek, Hebrew and Ge‘ez to demonstrate that general words such as impurity assume
sexual connotations even when sexual sin is not explicitly mentioned. Unlike in
1 Enoch, the Watchers' sexual activity becomes paradigmatic for all
sexual wrongdoing in Jubilees (p. 131). As in 1 Enoch and ALD,
intermarriage is a central concern that is not limited to priests, for Jubilees
views the whole nation as a priestly kingdom. Thus Lev 21:9, which originally
applied to daughters of priests who engaged in prostitution (זנות),
is extended to any woman who marries a foreigner (pp. 168-9). The danger is not simply exposure to bad influences;
proscribed sexual activity itself brings moral defilement on the people. In its proper context, Jubilees's
attitude towards sexual activity is very positive—and not limited to procreation. This coincides with a favourable
portrayal of women and an emphasis on loving companionship within marriage. The proper context
includes respect for sacred time and sacred space. Thus Adam knew Eve in a
sexual sense (Jub. 3:6) after she was created, but before they
entered the garden (p. 279). Sexual relations are also excluded in the age to
come, Loader suggests, because Jubilees envisions a return to innocence
where everyone will be children (pp. 284-5).

In the case of Jubilees, at least, there is already an extensive secondary literature—amply represented
in the footnotes—on some aspects of sexuality. Loader's main contribution is his
thorough, contextual approach, and its application to three different texts.
Their juxtaposition underlines their remarkable similarities, highlights their
distinctive emphases, and raises questions that might not otherwise be
addressed. Loader's persistent attention to positive statements about sexuality
is especially helpful. The result is a valuable study of all three texts with
implications for our understanding of the Judaism the texts represent.

Specialists will appreciate Loader's careful inductive analysis and his detailed exegesis.
Helpful summary sections review the ground that has been covered. However, the
extensive footnotes and lengthy back-and-forth examination of alternatives make
for heavy reading. Perhaps because Loader regards it as preliminary spade-work
in a larger project, the book is longer and less focused than it might
otherwise have been.